Articles | Volume 10, issue 4
https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-10-1609-2017
© Author(s) 2017. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-10-1609-2017
© Author(s) 2017. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Research article
| 
26 Apr 2017
Research article |
| 26 Apr 2017
Comparison of aerosol lidar retrieval methods for boundary layer height detection using ceilometer aerosol backscatter data
Vanessa Caicedo
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Houston, Houston, TX, USA
Bernhard Rappenglück
Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Houston, Houston, TX, USA
Barry Lefer
Tropospheric Composition Program, Earth Science Division, NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC, USA
Gary Morris
School of Natural Sciences, Saint Edward's University, Austin, TX, USA
Daniel Toledo
Department of Physics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
Ruben Delgado
Joint Center for Earth Systems Technology, University of Maryland Baltimore Country, Baltimore, MD, USA
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Kai-Lan Chang, Owen R. Cooper, Audrey Gaudel, Irina Petropavlovskikh, Peter Effertz, Gary Morris, and Brian C. McDonald
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 6197–6218, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-6197-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-6197-2024, 2024
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A great majority of observational trend studies of free tropospheric ozone use sparsely sampled ozonesonde and aircraft measurements as reference data sets. A ubiquitous assumption is that trends are accurate and reliable so long as long-term records are available. We show that sampling bias due to sparse samples can persistently reduce the trend accuracy, and we highlight the importance of maintaining adequate frequency and continuity of observations.
Bryan J. Johnson, Patrick Cullis, John Booth, Irina Petropavlovskikh, Glen McConville, Birgit Hassler, Gary A. Morris, Chance Sterling, and Samuel Oltmans
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 3133–3146, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-3133-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-3133-2023, 2023
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In 1986, soon after the discovery of the Antarctic ozone hole, NOAA began year-round ozonesonde observations at South Pole Station to measure vertical profiles of ozone and temperature from the surface to 35 km. Balloon-borne ozonesondes launched at this unique site allow for tracking all phases of the yearly springtime ozone hole beginning in late winter and after sunrise, when rapid ozone depletion begins over the South Pole throughout the month of September.
Claudia Bernier, Yuxuan Wang, Guillaume Gronoff, Timothy Berkoff, K. Emma Knowland, John T. Sullivan, Ruben Delgado, Vanessa Caicedo, and Brian Carroll
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 15313–15331, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-15313-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-15313-2022, 2022
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Coastal regions are susceptible to variable and high ozone which is difficult to simulate. We developed a method to characterize large datasets of multi-dimensional measurements from lidar instruments taken in coastal regions. Using the clustered ozone groups, we evaluated model performance in simulating the coastal ozone variability vertically and diurnally. The approach allowed us to pinpoint areas where the models succeed in simulating coastal ozone and areas where there are still gaps.
Subin Yoon, Alexander Kotsakis, Sergio L. Alvarez, Mark G. Spychala, Elizabeth Klovenski, Paul Walter, Gary Morris, Ernesto Corrales, Alfredo Alan, Jorge A. Diaz, and James H. Flynn
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 4373–4384, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-4373-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-4373-2022, 2022
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SO2 is adverse to human health and the environment. A single SO2 sonde was developed to provide direct SO2 measurement with a greater vertical extent, a lower limit of detection, and less uncertainty relative to the previous dual-sonde method. The single sonde was tested in the field near volcanoes and anthropogenic sources where the sonde measured SO2 ranging from 0.5 to 940 ppb. This lighter-weight payload can be a great candidate to attach to small drones and unmanned aerial vehicles.
Michael A. Battaglia Jr., Nicholas Balasus, Katherine Ball, Vanessa Caicedo, Ruben Delgado, Annmarie G. Carlton, and Christopher J. Hennigan
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 18271–18281, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-18271-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-18271-2021, 2021
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This study characterizes aerosol liquid water content and aerosol pH at a land–water transition site near Baltimore, Maryland. We characterize the effects of unique meteorology associated with the close proximity to the Chesapeake Bay and episodic NH3 events derived from industrial and agricultural sources on aerosol chemistry during the summer. We also examine two events where primary Bay emissions underwent aging in the polluted urban atmosphere.
Nicholas Balasus, Michael A. Battaglia Jr., Katherine Ball, Vanessa Caicedo, Ruben Delgado, Annmarie G. Carlton, and Christopher J. Hennigan
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 13051–13065, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-13051-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-13051-2021, 2021
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Measurements of aerosol and gas composition were carried out at a land–water transition site near Baltimore, MD. Gas-phase ammonia concentrations were highly elevated compared to measurements at a nearby inland site. Our analysis reveals that NH2 was from both industrial and agricultural sources. This had a pronounced effect on aerosol chemical composition at the site, most notably contributing to episodic spikes of aerosol nitrate.
Benjamin A. Nault, Duseong S. Jo, Brian C. McDonald, Pedro Campuzano-Jost, Douglas A. Day, Weiwei Hu, Jason C. Schroder, James Allan, Donald R. Blake, Manjula R. Canagaratna, Hugh Coe, Matthew M. Coggon, Peter F. DeCarlo, Glenn S. Diskin, Rachel Dunmore, Frank Flocke, Alan Fried, Jessica B. Gilman, Georgios Gkatzelis, Jacqui F. Hamilton, Thomas F. Hanisco, Patrick L. Hayes, Daven K. Henze, Alma Hodzic, James Hopkins, Min Hu, L. Greggory Huey, B. Thomas Jobson, William C. Kuster, Alastair Lewis, Meng Li, Jin Liao, M. Omar Nawaz, Ilana B. Pollack, Jeffrey Peischl, Bernhard Rappenglück, Claire E. Reeves, Dirk Richter, James M. Roberts, Thomas B. Ryerson, Min Shao, Jacob M. Sommers, James Walega, Carsten Warneke, Petter Weibring, Glenn M. Wolfe, Dominique E. Young, Bin Yuan, Qiang Zhang, Joost A. de Gouw, and Jose L. Jimenez
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 11201–11224, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-11201-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-11201-2021, 2021
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Secondary organic aerosol (SOA) is an important aspect of poor air quality for urban regions around the world, where a large fraction of the population lives. However, there is still large uncertainty in predicting SOA in urban regions. Here, we used data from 11 urban campaigns and show that the variability in SOA production in these regions is predictable and is explained by key emissions. These results are used to estimate the premature mortality associated with SOA in urban regions.
Jianfeng Li, Yuhang Wang, Ruixiong Zhang, Charles Smeltzer, Andrew Weinheimer, Jay Herman, K. Folkert Boersma, Edward A. Celarier, Russell W. Long, James J. Szykman, Ruben Delgado, Anne M. Thompson, Travis N. Knepp, Lok N. Lamsal, Scott J. Janz, Matthew G. Kowalewski, Xiong Liu, and Caroline R. Nowlan
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 11133–11160, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-11133-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-11133-2021, 2021
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Comprehensive evaluations of simulated diurnal cycles of NO2 and NOy concentrations, vertical profiles, and tropospheric vertical column densities at two different resolutions with various measurements during the DISCOVER-AQ 2011 campaign show potential distribution biases of NOx emissions in the National Emissions Inventory 2011 at both 36 and 4 km resolutions, providing another possible explanation for the overestimation of model results.
Robert B. Chatfield, Meinrat O. Andreae, ARCTAS Science Team, and SEAC4RS Science Team
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 13, 7069–7096, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-13-7069-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-13-7069-2020, 2020
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Forest burning affects air pollution and global climate. A NASA aircraft studied fire emissions including the Rim Fire near Yosemite. We found frequent confusions between the actual fire emission factors and other effects on the air samples. Effects on CO2 and CO can originate far upwind; the gases can mix variably into a smoke plume. We devised a theory of constant features in plumes. A statistical mixed-effects analysis of a co-emitted tracers model disentangles such mixing from fire effects.
Qili Dai, Benjamin C. Schulze, Xiaohui Bi, Alexander A. T. Bui, Fangzhou Guo, Henry W. Wallace, Nancy P. Sanchez, James H. Flynn, Barry L. Lefer, Yinchang Feng, and Robert J. Griffin
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 19, 9641–9661, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-9641-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-9641-2019, 2019
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The formation processes of secondary organic aerosol remain to be fully understood. We reported the measurement data from two field campaigns within Houston, TX, to investigate the effects of aqueous-phase chemistry and photochemistry in processing oxygenated organic aerosol (OOA) in winter and summer. Both photochemistry and aqueous-phase processing appear to facilitate more-oxidized OOA formation. The processing mechanism of less-oxidized OOA apparently depended on relative humidity.
David A. Westenbarger and Gary A. Morris
Atmos. Chem. Phys. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-2017-1234, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-2017-1234, 2018
Revised manuscript not accepted
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As ambient air quality standards are strengthened, understanding transported pollution becomes more important. We identify transported biomass burning plumes using an ensemble of in situ ambient monitors, remote sensing instruments, and chemical transport models. An example for Houston TX USA over a multi-day period in 2011 is examined. Enhancements in O3, aerosols, and CO confirm presence of transported parcels likely originating from upwind regions with pervasive biomass burning.
Travis N. Knepp, James J. Szykman, Russell Long, Rachelle M. Duvall, Jonathan Krug, Melinda Beaver, Kevin Cavender, Keith Kronmiller, Michael Wheeler, Ruben Delgado, Raymond Hoff, Timothy Berkoff, Erik Olson, Richard Clark, Daniel Wolfe, David Van Gilst, and Doreen Neil
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 10, 3963–3983, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-10-3963-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-10-3963-2017, 2017
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Herein we compare the mixed-layer data products from differing ceilometer instruments and meteorological sondes.
Guanyu Huang, Xiong Liu, Kelly Chance, Kai Yang, Pawan K. Bhartia, Zhaonan Cai, Marc Allaart, Gérard Ancellet, Bertrand Calpini, Gerrie J. R. Coetzee, Emilio Cuevas-Agulló, Manuel Cupeiro, Hugo De Backer, Manvendra K. Dubey, Henry E. Fuelberg, Masatomo Fujiwara, Sophie Godin-Beekmann, Tristan J. Hall, Bryan Johnson, Everette Joseph, Rigel Kivi, Bogumil Kois, Ninong Komala, Gert König-Langlo, Giovanni Laneve, Thierry Leblanc, Marion Marchand, Kenneth R. Minschwaner, Gary Morris, Michael J. Newchurch, Shin-Ya Ogino, Nozomu Ohkawara, Ankie J. M. Piters, Françoise Posny, Richard Querel, Rinus Scheele, Frank J. Schmidlin, Russell C. Schnell, Otto Schrems, Henry Selkirk, Masato Shiotani, Pavla Skrivánková, René Stübi, Ghassan Taha, David W. Tarasick, Anne M. Thompson, Valérie Thouret, Matthew B. Tully, Roeland Van Malderen, Holger Vömel, Peter von der Gathen, Jacquelyn C. Witte, and Margarita Yela
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 10, 2455–2475, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-10-2455-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-10-2455-2017, 2017
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It is essential to understand the data quality of +10-year OMI ozone product and impacts of the “row anomaly” (RA). We validate the OMI Ozone Profile (PROFOZ) product from Oct 2004 to Dec 2014 against ozonesonde observations globally. Generally, OMI has good agreement with ozonesondes. The spatiotemporal variation of retrieval performance suggests the need to improve OMI’s radiometric calibration especially during the post-RA period to maintain the long-term stability.
Laura Bianco, Katja Friedrich, James M. Wilczak, Duane Hazen, Daniel Wolfe, Ruben Delgado, Steven P. Oncley, and Julie K. Lundquist
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 10, 1707–1721, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-10-1707-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-10-1707-2017, 2017
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XPIA is a study held in 2015 at NOAA's Boulder Atmospheric Observatory facility, aimed at assessing remote-sensing capabilities for wind energy applications. We use well-defined reference systems to validate temperature retrieved by two microwave radiometers (MWRs) and virtual temperature measured by wind profiling radars with radio acoustic sounding systems (RASSs). Water vapor density and relative humidity by the MWRs were also compared with similar measurements from the reference systems.
Mithu Debnath, Giacomo Valerio Iungo, W. Alan Brewer, Aditya Choukulkar, Ruben Delgado, Scott Gunter, Julie K. Lundquist, John L. Schroeder, James M. Wilczak, and Daniel Wolfe
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 10, 1215–1227, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-10-1215-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-10-1215-2017, 2017
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The XPIA experiment was conducted in 2015 at the Boulder Atmospheric Observatory to estimate capabilities of various remote-sensing techniques for the characterization of complex atmospheric flows. Among different tests, XPIA provided the unique opportunity to perform simultaneous virtual towers with Ka-band radars and scanning Doppler wind lidars. Wind speed and wind direction were assessed against lidar profilers and sonic anemometer data, highlighting a good accuracy of the data retrieved.
Benjamin C. Schulze, Henry W. Wallace, James H. Flynn, Barry L. Lefer, Matt H. Erickson, B. Tom Jobson, Sebastien Dusanter, Stephen M. Griffith, Robert F. Hansen, Philip S. Stevens, Timothy VanReken, and Robert J. Griffin
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 17, 1805–1828, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-1805-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-1805-2017, 2017
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The atmospheric chemistry associated with mixing of anthropogenic and natural species was simulated to understand how shade provided by a forest canopy impacts reactions, product distribution, and subsequent phase distribution of the products. This is important to understand, as forested areas downwind of urban areas will be impacted by this phenomenon. It was found that fast transport from below the canopy led to increases in secondary organic aerosol from nitrate radicals above the canopy.
Mithu Debnath, G. Valerio Iungo, Ryan Ashton, W. Alan Brewer, Aditya Choukulkar, Ruben Delgado, Julie K. Lundquist, William J. Shaw, James M. Wilczak, and Daniel Wolfe
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 10, 431–444, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-10-431-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-10-431-2017, 2017
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Triple RHI scans were performed with three simultaneous scanning Doppler wind lidars and assessed with lidar profiler and sonic anemometer data. This test is part of the XPIA experiment. The scan strategy consists in two lidars performing co-planar RHI scans, while a third lidar measures the transversal velocity component. The results show that horizontal velocity and wind direction are measured with good accuracy, while the vertical velocity is typically measured with a significant error.
Related subject area
Subject: Others (Wind, Precipitation, Temperature, etc.) | Technique: Remote Sensing | Topic: Validation and Intercomparisons
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Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 6751–6767, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-6751-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-6751-2024, 2024
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A Japanese team developed the Level 2 atmospheric radiation flux and heating rate product for EarthCARE, which offers vertical profiles of longwave and shortwave radiative fluxes and heating rates. This study outlines the algorithm for the radiative product and its comparative validation against satellite and ground-based observations. It also analyzes errors in radiative fluxes at various scales and their dependence on cloud type, with ice-containing clouds identified as a primary error source.
Tessa E. Rosenberger, David D. Turner, Thijs Heus, Girish N. Raghunathan, Timothy J. Wagner, and Julia Simonson
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 6595–6602, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-6595-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-6595-2024, 2024
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This work used model output to show that considering the changes in boundary layer depth over time in the calculations of variables such as fluxes and variance yields more accurate results than cases where calculations were done at a constant height. This work was done to improve future observations of these variables at the top of the boundary layer.
Zhangjun Wang, Tiantian Guo, Xianxin Li, Chao Chen, Dong Liu, Luoyuan Qu, Hui Li, and Xiufen Wang
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2647, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2647, 2024
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A dual-field, integrated lidar system has been developed to detect atmospheric temperatures from near surface to 60 km over Qingdao, China. Temperature profiles from near surface to 60 km are derived by pure rotational Raman and Rayleigh scattering techniques using a single integrated lidar system. The results prove the system can make fine measurements of the atmospheric temperature profiles from near surface to 60 km.
Julia Danzer, Magdalena Pieler, and Gottfried Kirchengast
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 4979–4995, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-4979-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-4979-2024, 2024
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We investigated the potential of radio occultation (RO) data for climate-oriented wind field monitoring, focusing on the equatorial band within ±5° latitude. In this region, the geostrophic balance breaks down, and the equatorial balance approximation takes over. The study encourages the use of RO wind fields for mesoscale climate monitoring for the equatorial region, showing a small improvement in the troposphere when including the meridional wind in the zonal-mean total wind speed.
Jonas Ernő Katona, Manuel de la Torre Juárez, Terence L. Kubar, F. Joseph Turk, Kuo-Nung Wang, and Ramon Padullés
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1278, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1278, 2024
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Polarimetric radio occultations (PRO) use polarized radio signals from satellites to detect moisture and precipitation in Earth's atmosphere. By applying nonlinear regression and k-means cluster analysis to over two years of PRO and non-PRO data, this study shows how deviations from a refractivity model relate to vertical profiles of water vapor pressure (moisture) and that differences between components of PRO signals correlate directly with vertical profiles of water path (precipitation).
Jérôme Kopp, Alessandro Hering, Urs Germann, and Olivia Martius
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 4529–4552, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-4529-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-4529-2024, 2024
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We present a verification of two products based on weather radars to detect the presence of hail and estimate its size. Radar products are remote detection of hail, so they must be verified against ground-based observations. We use reports from users of the Swiss Weather Services phone app to do the verification. We found that the product estimating the presence of hail provides fair results but that it should be recalibrated and that estimating the hail size with radar is more challenging.
Louise Gelbart, Laurent Barthès, François Mercier-Tigrine, Aymeric Chazottes, and Cecile Mallet
Atmos. Meas. Tech. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-2024-88, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-2024-88, 2024
Revised manuscript accepted for AMT
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In this paper, we present and evaluate a new method for the quantitative estimation of precipitation from a low-cost sensor. Based on previous work measuring the attenuation of an electromagnetic signal from a broadcast television satellite, we make this approach more accurate so that to be easily deployed and used operationally in areas where rainfall measurements are critical for applications like flood monitoring. In this article, the method is validated in France and applied in Ivory Coast.
Hai Nguyen, Derek Posselt, Igor Yanovsky, Longtao Wu, and Svetla Hristova-Veleva
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 3103–3119, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-3103-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-3103-2024, 2024
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Accurate global wind estimation is crucial for weather prediction and environmental modeling. Our study investigates a method to refine atmospheric motion vectors (AMVs) by comparing them with high-precision active-sensor winds. Leveraging supervised learning, we discovered that using high-precision active-sensor data can significantly reduce biases in passive-sensor winds in addition to providing estimates of the wind errors, thereby improving their reliability.
Liqin Jin, Mauro Ghirardelli, Jakob Mann, Mikael Sjöholm, Stephan Thomas Kral, and Joachim Reuder
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 2721–2737, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-2721-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-2721-2024, 2024
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Three-dimensional wind fields can be accurately measured by sonic anemometers. However, the traditional mast-mounted sonic anemometers are not flexible in various applications, which can be potentially overcome by drones. Therefore, we conducted a proof-of-concept study by applying three continuous-wave Doppler lidars to characterize the complex flow around a drone to validate the results obtained by CFD simulations. Both methods show good agreement, with a velocity difference of 0.1 m s-1.
Vasura Jayaweera, Robert J. Sica, Giovanni Martucci, and Alexander Haefele
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1081, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1081, 2024
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Our study presents a new method, the solar background calibration method, which improves temperature determinations in rotational Raman lidar systems. By utilizing backgrounds solar radiation, this technique offers more continuous and reliable temperatures independent of external measuring instruments. This new method enhances our ability to monitor and understand atmospheric trends and their association to climate change with greater accuracy.
Isadora Coimbra, Jakob Mann, and José Palma
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-936, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-936, 2024
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Dual-lidar measurements are explored here as a cost-effective alternative for measuring the wind at great heights. From measurements at a mountainous site, we showed that this methodology can accurately capture mean wind speeds and turbulence under different flow conditions, and we recommended optimal lidar placement and sampling rates. This methodology allows the construction of vertical wind profiles up to 430 m, surpassing traditional meteorological mast heights and single lidar capabilities.
Ewa Agnieszka Krajny, Leszek Ośródka, and Marek Jan Wojtylak
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 2451–2464, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-2451-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-2451-2024, 2024
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The use of sodar data to support an air quality forecasting system is encouraging.
The sodar model is a complement to forecasting methods because it is useful due to its simplicity and speed of calculations. It does not require emission data, for which it is difficult to quickly verify temporal and spatial variability.
The use of simple formulas of regression models in forecasting, while maintaining their multivariate nature, facilitates the optimisation of the prediction process.
Lei Liu, Natalia Bliankinshtein, Yi Huang, John R. Gyakum, Philip M. Gabriel, Shiqi Xu, and Mengistu Wolde
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 2219–2233, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-2219-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-2219-2024, 2024
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We conducted a radiance closure experiment using a unique combination of two hyperspectral radiometers, one operating in the microwave and the other in the infrared. By comparing the measurements of the two hyperspectrometers to synthetic radiance simulated from collocated atmospheric profiles, we affirmed the proper performance of the two instruments and quantified their radiometric uncertainty for atmospheric sounding applications.
Irena Nimac, Julia Danzer, and Gottfried Kirchengast
Atmos. Meas. Tech. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-2024-59, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-2024-59, 2024
Revised manuscript accepted for AMT
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Due to shortcomings of available observations, having accurate global 3D wind fields remains a challenge. Promising option is the use of radio occultation (RO) satellite data, which enable to derive winds based on the wind approximations. We test how well RO winds describe the ERA5 reanalysis winds. We separate the total wind difference into the approximation bias and the systematic difference between the two datasets. The results show the utility of RO winds for climate monitoring and analyses.
Kyriakoula Papachristopoulou, Ilias Fountoulakis, Alkiviadis F. Bais, Basil E. Psiloglou, Nikolaos Papadimitriou, Ioannis-Panagiotis Raptis, Andreas Kazantzidis, Charalampos Kontoes, Maria Hatzaki, and Stelios Kazadzis
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 1851–1877, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-1851-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-1851-2024, 2024
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The upgraded systems SENSE2 and NextSENSE2 focus on improving the quality of solar nowcasting and forecasting. SENSE2 provides real-time estimates of solar irradiance across a wide region every 15 min. NextSENSE2 offers short-term forecasts of irradiance up to 3 h ahead. Evaluation with actual data showed that the instantaneous comparison yields the most discrepancies due to the uncertainties of cloud-related information and satellite versus ground-based spatial representativeness limitations.
Giandomenico Pace, Alcide di Sarra, Filippo Cali Quaglia, Virginia Ciardini, Tatiana Di Iorio, Antonio Iaccarino, Daniela Meloni, Giovanni Muscari, and Claudio Scarchilli
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 1617–1632, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-1617-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-1617-2024, 2024
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This study investigates the performances of 17 formulas to determine the clear sky longwave downward irradiance in the Arctic environment. The formulas need to be tuned to the environmental conditions of the studied region and, to date, few of them have been developed and/or tested in the Arctic. The best formulas provide biases and root mean squared errors respectively smaller than 1 and 5 W m-2. We intend to use these results to estimate the longwave cloud radiative perturbation.
Bruna Barbosa Silveira, Emma Catherine Turner, and Jérôme Vidot
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 1279–1296, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-1279-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-1279-2024, 2024
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A fast radiative transfer model, used to speed up the full spectral simulation of meteorological satellite channels in weather forecast models, is tested using 25 000 modelled atmospheres. The differences between calculations from the fast and the high-resolution reference models are examined for nine historic weather satellite instruments. The study confirms that a reduced set of 83 atmospheric profiles is robust enough to estimate the scale of the differences obtained from the larger sample.
Simon Pfreundschuh, Clément Guilloteau, Paula J. Brown, Christian D. Kummerow, and Patrick Eriksson
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 515–538, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-515-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-515-2024, 2024
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The latest version of the GPROF retrieval algorithm that produces global precipitation estimates using observations from the Global Precipitation Measurement mission is validated against ground-based radars. The validation shows that the algorithm accurately estimates precipitation on scales ranging from continental to regional. In addition, we validate candidates for the next version of the algorithm and identify principal challenges for further improving space-borne rain measurements.
Linda Bogerd, Hidde Leijnse, Aart Overeem, and Remko Uijlenhoet
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 247–259, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-247-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-247-2024, 2024
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Algorithms merge satellite radiometer data from various frequency channels, each tied to a different footprint size. We studied the uncertainty associated with sampling (over the Netherlands using 4 years of data) as precipitation is highly variable in space and time by simulating ground-based data as satellite footprints. Though sampling affects precipitation estimates, it doesn’t explain all discrepancies. Overall, uncertainties in the algorithm seem more influential than how data is sampled.
Hua Lu, Min Xie, Wei Zhao, Bojun Liu, Tijian Wang, and Bingliang Zhuang
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 167–179, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-167-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-167-2024, 2024
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Observations of vertical wind in regions with complex terrain are essential, but they are always sparse and have poor representation. Data verification and quality control are conducted on the wind profile radar and Aeolus wind products in this study, trying to compensate for the limitations of wind field observations. The results shed light on the comprehensive applications of multi-source wind profile data in complicated terrain regions with sparse ground-based wind observations.
Timothy J. Wagner, Thomas August, Tim Hultberg, and Ralph A. Petersen
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 1–14, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-1-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-1-2024, 2024
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Commercial passenger and freight aircraft need to know the temperature and pressure of the environments they fly through in order to safely operate. In this paper, we investigate how these observations can be used to evaluate and monitor the performance of satellite observations. Normally weather balloons are used for this, but in places like the United States there are many more airplane flights than weather balloon launches. This makes it much easier to compare them to satellites.
Maria Lívia L. M. Gava, Simone M. S. Costa, and Anthony C. S. Porfírio
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 5429–5441, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-5429-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-5429-2023, 2023
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This study assesses the effectiveness of two geostationary satellite-based sunshine duration datasets over Brazil. Statistical parameters were used to evaluate the performance of the products. The results showed generally good agreement between satellite and ground observations, with some regional discrepancies. Overall, both satellite products offer reliable data for various applications, which benefit from their high spatial resolution and low time latency.
Hubert Luce, Lakshmi Kantha, and Hiroyuki Hashiguchi
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 5091–5101, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-5091-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-5091-2023, 2023
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The potential ability of clear air radars to measure turbulence kinetic energy (TKE) dissipation rate ε in the atmosphere is a major asset of these instruments because of their continuous measurements. In the present work, we successfully tested the relevance of a model relating ε to the width of the Doppler spectrum peak and wind shear for shear-generated turbulence and we provide a physical interpretation of an empirical model in this context.
Michal Kozubek, Lisa Kuchelbacher, Jaroslav Chum, Tereza Sindelarova, Franziska Trinkl, and Katerina Podolska
Atmos. Meas. Tech. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-2023-167, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-2023-167, 2023
Preprint under review for AMT
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Waves are very important as main drivers of different patterns (streamers) in stratosphere. We analyze some changes of these waves or infrasound characteristics related to streamers using continuous Doppler soundings, array of microbarometers in the Czechia. Ground measurements using the WBCI array showed that GW propagation azimuths were more random during streamers than during calm conditions. Measurements in the ionosphere during streamers did not differ from those expected for the given time
Sheila Kirkwood, Evgenia Belova, Peter Voelger, Sourav Chatterjee, and Karathazhiyath Satheesan
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 4215–4227, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-4215-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-4215-2023, 2023
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We compared 2 years of wind measurements by the Aeolus satellite with winds from two wind-profiler radars in Arctic Sweden and coastal Antarctica. Biases are similar in magnitude to results from other locations. They are smaller than in earlier studies due to more comparison points and improved criteria for data rejection. On the other hand, the standard deviation is somewhat higher because of degradation of the Aeolus lidar.
Alexandre Bugnard, Martine Collaud Coen, Maxime Hervo, Daniel Leuenberger, Marco Arpagaus, and Samuel Monhart
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-1961, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-1961, 2023
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Temperature (T) and wind profiles were measured by a Doppler Wind Lidar and a Microwave Radiometer at Meiringen, a medium size Alpine valley. Ground-based T inversions and thermal winds were studied during the ten months of the campaign. The comparison between the observations and the COSMO-1 model provides good model performances for monthly climatologies. T inversion are however frequently missed and important differences for particular cases are found, especially in case of foehn events.
Haichen Zuo and Charlotte Bay Hasager
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 3901–3913, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-3901-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-3901-2023, 2023
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Aeolus is a satellite equipped with a Doppler wind lidar to detect global wind profiles. This study evaluates the impact of Aeolus winds on surface wind forecasts over tropical oceans and high-latitude regions based on the ECMWF observing system experiments. We find that Aeolus can slightly improve surface wind forecasts for the region > 60° N, especially from day 5 onwards. For other study regions, the impact of Aeolus is nearly neutral or limited, which requires further investigation.
Holger Baars, Joshua Walchester, Elizaveta Basharova, Henriette Gebauer, Martin Radenz, Johannes Bühl, Boris Barja, Ulla Wandinger, and Patric Seifert
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 3809–3834, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-3809-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-3809-2023, 2023
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In 2018, the Aeolus satellite of the European Space Agency (ESA) was launched to improve weather forecasts through global measurements of wind profiles. Given the novel lidar technique onboard, extensive validation efforts have been needed to verify the observations. For this reason, we performed long-term validation measurements in Germany and Chile. We found significant improvement in the data products due to a new algorithm version and can confirm the general validity of Aeolus observations.
Hubert Luce, Lakshmi Kantha, Hiroyuki Hashiguchi, Dale Lawrence, Abhiram Doddi, Tyler Mixa, and Masanori Yabuki
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 3561–3580, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-3561-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-3561-2023, 2023
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Doppler radars can be used to estimate turbulence kinetic energy dissipation rates in the atmosphere. The performance of various models is evaluated from comparisons between UHF wind profiler and in situ measurements with UAVs. For the first time, we assess a model supposed to be valid for weak stratification or strong shear conditions. This model provides better agreements with in situ measurements than the classical model based on the hypothesis of a stable stratification.
Chengfeng Feng and Zhaoxia Pu
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 2691–2708, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-2691-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-2691-2023, 2023
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This study demonstrates the positive impacts of assimilating Aeolus Mie-cloudy and Rayleigh-clear near-real-time horizontal line-of-sight winds on the analysis and forecasts of Hurricane Ida (2021) and a mesoscale convective system associated with an African easterly wave using the mesoscale community Weather Research and Forecasting model and the NCEP Gridpoint Statistical Interpolation-based three-dimensional ensemble-variational hybrid data assimilation system.
Tim Trent, Richard Siddans, Brian Kerridge, Marc Schröder, Noëlle A. Scott, and John Remedios
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 1503–1526, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-1503-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-1503-2023, 2023
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Modern weather satellites provide essential information on our lower atmosphere's moisture content and temperature structure. This measurement record will span over 40 years, making it a valuable resource for climate studies. This study characterizes atmospheric temperature and humidity profiles from a European Space Agency climate project. Using weather balloon measurements, we demonstrated the performance of this dataset was within the tolerances required for future climate studies.
Benjamin Witschas, Christian Lemmerz, Alexander Geiß, Oliver Lux, Uwe Marksteiner, Stephan Rahm, Oliver Reitebuch, Andreas Schäfler, and Fabian Weiler
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 7049–7070, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-7049-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-7049-2022, 2022
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In August 2018, the first wind lidar Aeolus was launched into space and has since then been providing data of the global wind field. The primary goal of Aeolus was the improvement of numerical weather prediction. To verify the quality of Aeolus wind data, DLR performed four airborne validation campaigns with two wind lidar systems. In this paper, we report on results from the two later campaigns, performed in Iceland and the tropics.
Olivier Bock, Pierre Bosser, and Carl Mears
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 5643–5665, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-5643-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-5643-2022, 2022
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Integrated water vapour measurements are often compared for the calibration and validation of instruments or techniques. Measurements made at different altitudes must be corrected to account for the vertical variation of water vapour. This paper shows that the widely used empirical correction model has severe limitations that are overcome using the proposed model. The method is applied to the inter-comparison of GPS and satellite microwave radiometer data in a tropical mountainous area.
Anthony J. Mannucci, Chi O. Ao, Byron A. Iijima, Thomas K. Meehan, Panagiotis Vergados, E. Robert Kursinski, and William S. Schreiner
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 4971–4987, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-4971-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-4971-2022, 2022
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The Global Positioning System (GPS) radio occultation (RO) technique is a satellite-based method for producing highly accurate vertical profiles of atmospheric temperature and pressure. RO profiles are used to monitor global climate trends, particularly in that region of the atmosphere that includes the lower stratosphere. Two data sets spanning 1995–1997 that were produced from the first RO satellite are highly accurate and can be used to assess global atmospheric models.
Ze Chen, Yufang Tian, Yinan Wang, Yongheng Bi, Xue Wu, Juan Huo, Linjun Pan, Yong Wang, and Daren Lü
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 4785–4800, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-4785-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-4785-2022, 2022
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Small-scale turbulence plays a vital role in the vertical exchange of heat, momentum and mass in the atmosphere. There are currently three models that can use spectrum width data of MST radar to calculate turbulence parameters. However, few studies have explored the applicability of the three calculation models. We compared and analysed the turbulence parameters calculated by three models. These results can provide a reference for the selection of models for calculating turbulence parameters.
Damao Zhang, Jennifer Comstock, and Victor Morris
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 4735–4749, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-4735-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-4735-2022, 2022
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The planetary boundary layer is the lowest part of the atmosphere. Its structure and depth (PBLHT) significantly impact air quality, global climate, land–atmosphere interactions, and a wide range of atmospheric processes. To test the robustness of the ceilometer-estimated PBLHT under different atmospheric conditions, we compared ceilometer- and radiosonde-estimated PBLHTs using multiple years of U.S. DOE ARM measurements at various ARM observatories located around the world.
Rachel Robey and Julie K. Lundquist
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 4585–4622, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-4585-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-4585-2022, 2022
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Our work investigates the behavior of errors in remote-sensing wind lidar measurements due to turbulence. Using a virtual instrument, we measured winds in simulated atmospheric flows and decomposed the resulting error. Dominant error mechanisms, particularly vertical velocity variations and interactions with shear, were identified in ensemble data over three test cases. By analyzing the underlying mechanisms, the response of the error behavior to further varying flow conditions may be projected.
Donato Summa, Fabio Madonna, Noemi Franco, Benedetto De Rosa, and Paolo Di Girolamo
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 4153–4170, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-4153-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-4153-2022, 2022
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The evolution of the atmospheric boundary layer height (ABLH) has an important impact on meteorology. However, the complexity of the phenomena occurring within the ABL and the influence of advection and local accumulation processes often prevent an unambiguous determination of the ABLH. The paper reports results from an inter-comparison effort involving different sensors and techniques to measure the ABLH. Correlations between the ABLH and other atmospheric variables are also assessed.
Haichen Zuo, Charlotte Bay Hasager, Ioanna Karagali, Ad Stoffelen, Gert-Jan Marseille, and Jos de Kloe
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 4107–4124, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-4107-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-4107-2022, 2022
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The Aeolus satellite was launched in 2018 for global wind profile measurement. After successful operation, the error characteristics of Aeolus wind products have not yet been studied over Australia. To complement earlier validation studies, we evaluated the Aeolus Level-2B11 wind product over Australia with ground-based wind profiling radar measurements and numerical weather prediction model equivalents. The results show that the Aeolus can detect winds with sufficient accuracy over Australia.
Carmen González, José M. Vilaplana, José A. Bogeat, and Antonio Serrano
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 4125–4133, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-4125-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-4125-2022, 2022
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Monitoring ultraviolet (UV) radiation is important since it can have harmful effects on the biosphere. Array spectroradiometers are increasingly used to measure UV as they are more versatile than scanning spectroradiometers. In this study, the long-term performance of the BTS-2048-UV-S-WP array spectroradiometer was assessed. The results show that the BTS can reliably measure both the UV index and UV radiation in the 300–360 nm range. Moreover, the BTS was stable and showed no seasonal behavior.
Charlotte Rahlves, Frank Beyrich, and Siegfried Raasch
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 2839–2856, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-2839-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-2839-2022, 2022
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Lidars can measure the wind profile in the lower part of the atmosphere, provided that the wind field is horizontally uniform and does not change during the time of the measurement. These requirements are mostly not fulfilled in reality, and the lidar wind measurement will thus hold a certain error. We investigate different strategies for lidar wind profiling using a lidar simulator implemented in a numerical simulation of the wind field. Our findings can help to improve wind measurements.
Katherine E. Lukens, Kayo Ide, Kevin Garrett, Hui Liu, David Santek, Brett Hoover, and Ross N. Hoffman
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 2719–2743, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-2719-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-2719-2022, 2022
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Winds that are crucial to weather forecasting derived from two different techniques – tracking satellite images (AMVs) and direct measurement of molecular and aerosol motions by Doppler lidar (Aeolus satellite winds) – are compared. We find that AMVs and Aeolus winds are highly correlated. Aeolus Mie-cloudy winds have great potential value as a comparison standard for AMVs. Larger differences are found in the Southern Hemisphere related to higher wind speed and higher vertical variation in wind.
Marijn Floris van Dooren, Anantha Padmanabhan Kidambi Sekar, Lars Neuhaus, Torben Mikkelsen, Michael Hölling, and Martin Kühn
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 1355–1372, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-1355-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-1355-2022, 2022
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The remote sensing technique lidar is widely used for wind speed measurements for both industrial and academic applications. Lidars can measure wind statistics accurately but cannot fully capture turbulent fluctuations in the high-frequency range, since they are partly filtered out. This paper therefore investigates the turbulence spectrum measured by a continuous-wave lidar and analytically models the lidar's measured spectrum with a Lorentzian filter function and a white noise term.
Alain Protat, Valentin Louf, Joshua Soderholm, Jordan Brook, and William Ponsonby
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 915–926, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-915-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-915-2022, 2022
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This study uses collocated ship-based, ground-based, and spaceborne radar observations to validate the concept of using the GPM spaceborne radar observations to calibrate national weather radar networks to the accuracy required for operational severe weather applications such as rainfall and hail nowcasting.
Wagner Wolff, Aart Overeem, Hidde Leijnse, and Remko Uijlenhoet
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 485–502, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-485-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-485-2022, 2022
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The existing infrastructure for cellular communication is promising for ground-based rainfall remote sensing. Rain-induced signal attenuation is used in dedicated algorithms for retrieving rainfall depth along commercial microwave links (CMLs) between cell phone towers. This processing is a source of many uncertainties about input data, algorithm structures, parameters, CML network, and local climate. Application of a stochastic optimization method leads to improved CML rainfall estimates.
Songhua Wu, Kangwen Sun, Guangyao Dai, Xiaoye Wang, Xiaoying Liu, Bingyi Liu, Xiaoquan Song, Oliver Reitebuch, Rongzhong Li, Jiaping Yin, and Xitao Wang
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 131–148, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-131-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-131-2022, 2022
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During the VAL-OUC campaign, we established a coherent Doppler lidar (CDL) network over China to verify the Level 2B (L2B) products from Aeolus. By the simultaneous wind measurements with CDLs at 17 stations, the L2B products from Aeolus are compared with those from CDLs. To our knowledge, the VAL-OUC campaign is the most extensive so far between CDLs and Aeolus in the lower troposphere for different atmospheric scenes. The vertical velocity impact on the HLOS retrieval from Aeolus is evaluated.
Karina Wilgan, Galina Dick, Florian Zus, and Jens Wickert
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 21–39, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-21-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-21-2022, 2022
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The assimilation of GNSS data in weather models has a positive impact on the forecasts. The impact is still limited due to using only the GPS zenith direction parameters. We calculate and validate more advanced tropospheric products from three satellite systems: the US American GPS, Russian GLONASS and European Galileo. The quality of all the solutions is comparable; however, combining more GNSS systems enhances the observations' geometry and improves the quality of the weather forecasts.
Hironori Iwai, Makoto Aoki, Mitsuru Oshiro, and Shoken Ishii
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 14, 7255–7275, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-7255-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-7255-2021, 2021
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The first space-based Doppler wind lidar on board the Aeolus satellite was launched on 22 August 2018 to obtain global horizontal wind profiles. In this study, wind profilers, ground-based coherent Doppler wind lidars, and GPS radiosondes were used to validate the quality of Aeolus Level 2B wind products over Japan during three different periods. The results show that Aeolus can measure the horizontal winds over Japan accurately.
Tim A. van Kempen, Filippo Oggionni, and Richard M. van Hees
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 14, 6711–6722, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-6711-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-6711-2021, 2021
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Validation of the instrument stability of the TROPOMI-SWIR module is done by monitoring a group of very stable and remote locations in the Saharan and Arabian deserts. These results confirm the excellent stability and lack of degradation of the TROPOMI-SWIR module derived from the internal calibration sources. The method was done for the first time on a spectrometer in the short-wave infrared and ensures TROPOMI-SWIR can be used for atmospheric research for years to come.
Susanna Hagelin, Roohollah Azad, Magnus Lindskog, Harald Schyberg, and Heiner Körnich
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 14, 5925–5938, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-5925-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-5925-2021, 2021
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In this paper we study the impact of using wind observations from the Aeolus satellite, which provides wind speed profiles globally, in our numerical weather prediction system using a regional model covering the Nordic countries. The wind speed profiles from Aeolus are assimilated by the model, and we see that they have an impact on both the model analysis and forecast, though given the relatively few observations available the impact is often small.
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Short summary
Three methods for estimating the boundary layer height using aerosol backscatter measurements are evaluated here. Radiosonde profiles are used to evaluate aerosol-backscatter-derived boundary layer heights. Overall good agreement between radiosonde and all aerosol-derived boundary layer heights was found, and specific limitations to each method are discussed. A recommended method is given for future aerosol backscatter retrieval of the boundary layer height.
Three methods for estimating the boundary layer height using aerosol backscatter measurements...
